Safety, the priority:

City street conditions after flooding

In most areas affected by this spring’s historic flooding, water levels continue to recede but Gatineau says it is still too early to update the status of all its roads. The first steps toward recovery are already underway. The restoration plan will take place over several weeks and involve hundreds of employees from the Public Works, Infrastructure, Environment, Fire Safety and Police departments. City engineers working with municipal services must first assess the damage to roads before they can be reopened for regular use. In many cases, waters must recede even further for a proper assessment to be performed. In Aylmer, streets that remain closed are Queen’s Park from rue Beaulac until rue du Corail, as well as portions of rue Fraser, rue Dorion, rue Lamoureux, rue Vanier and rue Chimo.

In areas where there are street closures, residents are advised to slow down or avoid driving in these areas altogether. People are asked to follow the signs on different streets until they are repaired and reopened.

Gatineau’s crews will be following these steps: removing debris from roads, removing the rock fill put on city streets, repairing and rehabilitating all concrete, inspecting culverts, checking for erosion on banked edges of streets, securing roads, sidewalks and biking trails, and collecting damaged or contaminated residential debris and ruined personal items.

Use of city buses is encouraged -- to keep the number of cars on the road to a minimum. The STO has collection boxes on buses so bus riders can make cash donations for flood victims.

Government assistance

Following the information session on the availability of government financial assistance, victims of the flood wishing to meet with a representative from the Ministère de la Sécurité publique du Québec can call 1-888-643-2433 to book an appointment.  For the Red Cross: 1 800 863-6582.